Two Seals
by Akatsuki210
Summary: Twoshot. Naruto always thought he would be the one to bring Sasuke back to Konoha.  But in the end, the one who accomplishes that task may be another boy who carries a cursed seal. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Alas, I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Warning:** Contains spoilers for those who don't read the manga.

* * *

**Two Seals**

_Chapter 1: Persuasion_

"Are you clear on the details of this mission?" Tsunade asked.

Hyuuga Neji, jounin and leader of the specially-assembled team, nodded. "Orochimaru has been seriously injured during a recent altercation with several members of the organization Akatsuki. As a result, he has been temporarily weakened. We are to take advantage of this opportunity to bring Sasuke-san back to Konoha. If we have a chance to kill Orochimaru or his minion Yakushi Kabuto, we may do so, but our first priority is to retrieve Sasuke-san."

"That is correct," Tsunade stated. She looked around at the other members of the team: Naruto, Sakura, Lee, and Sai. "Good luck, to all of you."

* * *

All five young shinobi became more tense as they neared the hideout at which Sasuke and Orochimaru were supposedly staying.

"If Orochimaru is injured, Kabuto is probably with them too," Sakura pointed out.

Neji nodded. "We do need to be prepared for that possibility. Sakura, since you are also a medic-nin, you're the one best-suited to fight him. Sai, you've been inside one of Orochimaru's bases before, so your job will be to help us find our way around the place. Lee and Naruto, you will deal with Orochimaru, if we run into him, and with Sasuke himself."

As with all of Orochimaru's hideouts, this one was mostly underground. What looked like a simple shed was situated on an island in the middle of a large lake. Inside the shed was a staircase that wound downwards to a hidden base below the lake. Neji reported this fact to the rest of the team as he scrutinized the shed with his Byakugan. "There are several seals placed on this door—no doubt they alert someone within if the door is opened."

"Do the seals work in both directions? That is, will they sound an alarm if the door is opened from the _inside_?" inquired Sakura.

"I do not believe so," Neji replied.

Sai understood where this was going, and stepped forward. He took out a scroll and a paintbrush, and proceeded to draw several small insects. With the application of chakra, the drawings came to life, and the insects skittered under the door. Now Sai formed a sequence of seals and whispered, "Artistic Remodeling Technique". On the other side of the door, the insects dissolved into ink, and then re-formed into a new shape: a single thin humanoid who opened the door from the inside.

"Good work, Sai-san," Neji said, and the five of them slipped inside.

Orochimaru's stronghold was damp and cold—not unexpected, given that it was located under a lake. At the bottom of the stairs, a long, straight hallway stretched off into the distance. Torches spaced at intervals along the walls provided only a weak illumination. Everything was silent, and no movement was evident anywhere. Overall, the atmosphere was quite depressing.

"How could anyone live in a place like this? The vibrancy of youth is completely absent!" Lee seemed particularly unsettled by the dismal surroundings.

"If this place is set up like the one I was in, these rooms will be mostly laboratories or prison cells for captives. The living quarters for Sasuke-san, Kabuto, and Orochimaru will be deeper inside. Given Orochimaru's weakened state, we can expect to encounter Sound-nins who have been assigned to guard him." Sai stepped forward, intending to take the lead, but Neji extended a hand to stop him.

"Everyone, don't go ahead of me. There may be traps that only my Byakugan can detect. Follow my lead exactly."

"Hey, hey, what should I do?" Naruto was clearly becoming impatient. He knew better than anyone how high the stakes were on this mission.

"Take up the rear, in case we are attacked from behind. We'll count on you to watch our backs."

"Right!"

* * *

With the help of Neji's bloodline limit, the five shinobi were able to avoid all of the traps that Orochimaru had set up within his lair. As Sai had predicted, they did encounter several Sound-nins, but these were low-level and easily defeated. Eventually, they entered a hallway where the light was more plentiful and the construction was of better quality. "This is where Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Sasuke's quarters are likely to be," Sai stated.

"Neji-san, what do you see?" Naruto asked.

Neji activated his Byakugan and squinted through the walls. "Sasuke-san is in the room on the left. He appears to be reading a scroll."

Leaving Sai in the hallway as a lookout, the others entered the small room. Inside, they found a bed, a dresser, and a desk at which Sasuke was sitting. He was indeed reading a scroll, scrutinizing it by the dim light of a candle. He looked up as the door opened, and immediately activated his Sharingan when he saw who it was. "What are you doing here?" he hissed.

"We've come to bring you back to Konoha, Sasuke-kun," Sakura answered.

"Whether you like it or not!" Naruto added fiercely.

"Haven't I told you already? I'm not on the same path as you guys. I'm an avenger, and the path I'm on is one I have to walk alone." Sasuke's tone was scathing. He glared at them as if hoping to intimidate them into leaving.

Naruto fixed Sasuke with a determined gaze that Sakura knew well. It was the same look that had appeared on his face when he challenged Neji after Hinata's defeat in the preliminary matches of the Chuunin Exam. It was the same look he'd had when he faced down Gaara during the invasion of Konoha. It was the same look that had filled her with both admiration and fear as they pursued Gaara's Akatsuki kidnapper. It was a look that proclaimed that Naruto was not going to give up, no matter what the cost. "Don't you get it? Orochimaru has no intention of letting you follow that path! He just wants your body! Do you really believe he'll let you fight Itachi and risk his container getting damaged? He doesn't care about your dreams, he only cares about himself!"

"It doesn't matter," Sasuke spat back harshly. "Orochimaru has no love for the Akatsuki. Once he has my body, he'll eliminate them all—including Itachi. I don't care if I have to give up my body, as long as Itachi ends up dead."

"But Sasuke-kun," Sakura implored, "it doesn't have to be that way. You don't have to do this alone. We're all willing to help you." Her normally gentle face hardened, jaw becoming set in a determined expression. "Itachi is after Naruto, and he's with Akatsuki. That makes him a danger to Konoha too. Do you think we'd sit idly by while our friend is in danger? Come back with us, and we can all fight Itachi _together_."

Sasuke's body tensed, and he clenched his fists at his sides. "Do you think I _chose_ this? You all act like this is something I want! This path I'm on…my feet were set upon it when I was eight years old. The structure of my life, out to its end, was determined for me by someone else. It doesn't matter how many pretty words you throw at me, nothing can change that."

"You're wrong." Everyone turned at the soft voice. Neji stood in the doorway, staring at Sasuke with inscrutable white eyes. He had been silent up to this point, and his interjection into the conversation between the members of Team 7 was a surprise.

"I too…know what it is like to have your destiny determined by another." Neji stepped forward, fixing Sasuke in place with his gaze. "You arrived late to the final matches of the Chuunin Exam, so you did not hear me telling Naruto-san about the secret of the Hyuuga clan. To explain it briefly…because my father was born seconds after his twin brother, I was condemned to be part of the Branch House that lives only to serve the Main House. As a young boy, a Cursed Seal was placed on my body that gave the members of Main House the ability to kill me with a thought if I displeased them." As he spoke, Neji reached up and removed his hitai-ate, exposing the mark that scarred his forehead. "My feet were set upon a certain path before I was even born. For a long time, I thought that there was no way for me to escape that destiny. I believed, as you do, that nothing could change the predetermined course of my life. When I fought Naruto-san, I learned that I was wrong." He paused, looking lost in thought. "What was it the Examiner said? 'When caged birds grow wiser, they learn how to open the cage with their beaks'…You and I have both lived most of our lives in a cage, Sasuke-san. I no longer accept that as the inevitable condition of my life. Neither should you."

Sasuke's eyes widened, and the Sharingan slowly drained away, leaving simple black behind. He seemed to have no response to Neji's words. For a few minutes, the group stood in silence. Then Sasuke opened his mouth to say something—but he never got a chance. Sai darted into the room, an expression of mild concern (which, for Sai, meant that he was feeling stark terror) on his face. "Orochimaru is coming!"

* * *

A/N: It occurred to me recently that Neji and Sasuke are alike in the sense that 1) both have cursed seals and 2) both felt that their destinies were determined by someone else. For that reason, it seems like Neji might be able to understand Sasuke better than a lot of people in Konoha, and I wondered what he might say to Sasuke if they encountered each other now. That idea was the inspiration for this story. I'm planning to do another chapter, which will involve more interaction between Sasuke and Neji. Reviews would be much appreciated! 


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2: The Unsealing_

Naruto turned to the boy who had once been his best friend. "Sasuke, is there another way out of here?"

Sasuke thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, there's a jutsu that can allow us to pass through the stone walls and the earth above."

"But a jutsu won't work for Lee-san!" Sakura pointed out with a worried look on her face.

Naruto screwed up his face in concentration, then replied. "When I was fighting Gaara, I performed a Henge that transformed both me and Gamabunta-san, because he said he's not good at Henge. Could I do the same thing with Lee? I mean, perform the jutsu for both of us?"

Sakura's eyes widened. "I've heard of that sort of thing being done before. But you normally have to have a lot of chakra and good control to do it."

"I've done it before, with Gamabunta-san, like I said. I can do it again!"

"Okay," Sasuke said. "Watch closely: these are the seals for the jutsu." Slowly, he ran through a series of seals. "It's an Earth element jutsu: Ghost Walk, because it allows you to move through solid stone and earth, as ghosts are said to do."

As Sasuke finished the seal sequence, chakra flared around him, and he turned and passed silently through the wall of his room. Neji, Sakura, and Sai quickly repeated the seals and followed. Naruto performed all but one of the seals, then grasped Lee's upper arm. Forming the last seal, he guided Lee through the wall after the others.

Following the trail of Sasuke's chakra, the Leaf team traveled under the lake and emerged from the ground at its edge.

"Lee-san! Lee-san, are you okay?" Sakura queried.

"I'm fine, Sakura-san. Naruto-san helped me with the jutsu. It was amazing! Although I know I can be an excellent ninja even with just my taijutsu, sometimes I wish I could do ninjutsu like that!"

Neji suddenly spun around, veins around his eyes bulging as he activated his Byakugan. "Someone is watching us!"

"Is it Orochimaru?"

"No…"

Soft, sinister laughter echoed all around them. The air shimmered, and a man with glasses and gray hair tied back in a ponytail appeared before them. "Why, Sasuke-sama, are you out for a walk with some of your old friends from Konoha?" A wry smile lit Kabuto's features as he pushed his glasses further up on his nose.

Sasuke stared at Kabuto with disdain. "Get out of here, Kabuto, I'm leaving."

Kabuto smirked. "Have you forgotten your deal with Orochimaru-sama? You will stay here and train until you are strong enough to defeat Itachi, and once you have killed him, you will give your body to Orochimaru-sama."

Sakura tugged on her gloves and stepped protectively in front of Sasuke. "That deal's off, Kabuto."

"Yeah!" Naruto chimed in. "If you want him, you'll have to go through us."

"That can be arranged." Iridescent green chakra flared around Kabuto's hand, and he disappeared from view.

Everyone whirled around, trying to see where he had gone. "There!" Neji shouted, pointing off to the left. At the same moment, Lee grunted and fell to the ground.

"Fuzzy brows! Are you okay?" Naruto ran over to Lee and tried to help him up, but he seemed unable to stand.

"The muscles in my legs do not seem to be working properly. It is probably a medical ninjutsu."

"That bastard!" Naruto growled.

Meanwhile, Neji was darting around, jabbing with his fingers at something they couldn't see. Naruto recognized the characteristic Jyuuken stance, and knew that the Hyuuga nin was trying to hit Kabuto's tenketsu with his devastating attack.

"Sasuke-kun, your Sharingan can see through his genjutsu—help Neji-san!" Sakura instructed.

"That will not be necessary," Sai stated calmly. Pulling out his scroll and paintbrush, he quickly drew the figure of a large bird. The drawing broke free of the scroll and flew into the air above the two combatants. "Neji-san, I apologize for this, but it is necessary to make him visible." With that enigmatic remark, Sai released the jutsu that held the drawing together—and the bird collapsed into a formless mass of ink that spattered all over both struggling shinobi.

Neji, of course, was covered with ink. But directly in front of him, large gobs of ink floated in the air, apparently suspended by an invisible force. Kabuto had been drenched too, and while he himself was invisible, the ink was not. "Neji-san, get out of the way!" Sakura yelled, and charged towards Kabuto. A chakra-enhanced fist slammed into his gut, and he flew backwards through the air. Behind him, Sasuke unsheathed his sword and held it out in front of him. Kabuto landed on the outstretched blade, and his form shimmered back into visibility as he died.

"Orochimaru-sama…will not be pleased…" he whispered.

* * *

The six Konoha shinobi walked in silence for a long time. Naruto and Sasuke glanced at each other every few minutes, and Naruto opened his mouth to speak once or twice, but always closed it without saying anything. After a few hours, it began to get dark, and the group stopped to set up camp for the night. While Sasuke sat and stared into the fire, Sakura walked over and stood in front of him, shuffling her feet hesitantly. "Sasuke-kun," she said, "we need to remove the Cursed Seal Orochimaru placed on you, so that he will no longer have any influence over you."

Sasuke nodded and wordlessly pushed his collar aside to reveal the mark that had scarred his neck for the past three years.

Meanwhile, Neji was busy helping Sai to set up tents for them to spend the night in. "It is my understanding," Sai stated, "that working on this sort of task can help to bring people closer together and strengthen their friendship."

"Do you mean setting up a tent, or fighting a dangerous enemy?" Neji inquired, not quite sure what Sai was getting at.

"…Both."

Someone cleared his throat behind them, and the two shinobi looked around to see Sasuke standing nearby. "Neji-san, may I speak with you for a moment?"

Neji left Sai behind and followed Sasuke a short distance away from the camp. "Neji-san…in order to remove all traces of Orochimaru's influence from me, Sakura-san removed the Cursed Seal that he placed on me in the Forest of Death."

Neji nodded. "That is a wise idea."

"I watched her perform the seals for the jutsu with my Sharingan activated, and copied it."

Neji watched Sasuke's face carefully. He didn't see why Sasuke was bringing this up. "Neji-san…this jutsu is not exclusive to _my_ Cursed Seal. It could be used to remove yours as well."

Immediately, Neji shook his head. "Thank you for the offer, Sasuke-san, but Hiashi-sama and the other members of the Main House would not be pleased if I removed my seal. Besides, many in Konoha will already distrust you because of your previous alliance with Orochimaru. It will only become that much harder for you if you do this."

Sasuke shrugged. "Maybe. But I owe it to you, after what you said to me back there. As for what the Main House will say…Hinata-san is of age now, isn't she?"

Neji nodded. "Yes, she came of age about two months ago."

"Doesn't that give her a lot of say in House politics, especially since she is the heir to leadership of the clan?"

"Yes, it does."

"Unless Hinata-san has changed drastically over the past three years, I can't imagine that she would cause trouble for you. On the contrary, from what I remember about her, I think she would defend you against anyone who complains about your decision."

Neji considered Sasuke's words. Regardless of Hinata's influence, he wasn't naïve enough to believe that the Main House would accept the removal of his Cursed Seal quietly. On the other hand, there had been a great deal of disgust directed towards the Hyuuga Main House by the general village population following Neji's revelation about the Cursed Seal during his match with Naruto. If the Main House tried to retaliate against him in any way, the rest of the village would most likely turn against them, perhaps even appealing to the Hokage for some sort of official censure of the clan. In truth, even some within the clan had begun to question the wisdom of the Cursed Seal. It created anger and resentment between the Main and Branch Houses, dividing the family and thus weakening them. Plus, some worried that the hatred of the Main House that simmered within many of the Branch House members would eventually boil over. If that happened, it could lead to violence that would make the Uchiha massacre look like a friendly disagreement by comparison. The discovery that the Cursed Seals could be removed might be the catalyst the clan needed to finally do away with the barbaric practice.

Slowly, Neji removed his hitai-ate and turned to face Sasuke. Sasuke ran through a series of seals and placed his hands on Neji's forehead. Neji felt _something_ slipping away from him, as if a terrible fever had just broken. _I'm free…

* * *

_

Several nights later, the team arrived back in Konoha. People greeted Sasuke with joy, suspicion, or uncertainty. They were all paying so much attention to the Uchiha that no one really noticed Neji as he detached himself from the crowd and wandered slowly across the village to the Hyuuga compound. Stepping inside, he let out a tired sigh. The journey back from Orochimaru's base had been a long one, and he wanted to rest. He had started down the hall towards his room when he paused and turned back. In the entrance foyer of the Hyuuga compound, a large birdcage sat on a stand. A pair of bright yellow canaries sat inside the cage, sleeping with their heads tucked under their wings. Neji strode over to the cage, and the birds woke at his approach, twittering inquisitively. A toy for the canaries, featuring a round mirror, hung on one wall of the cage. Removing his hitai-ate, Neji bent down to peer in the small mirror. He smiled slightly at the sight of his unblemished forehead. He gazed at the two birds for a moment, then hooked his finger around the latch that held the cage door closed. He pulled the door open, and his smile grew as the birds flew out of their cage and into the embrace of freedom.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm really sorry it took me so long to update this! I had a writer's block about it for a while, and then when I finally got ideas for the second chapter, I got swamped with end-of-semester work. Anyway, here is the second part of the story. Please review, and Happy New Year's everyone! 


End file.
